Deadline Date: April 16, 2026
The Urban Childcare Innovation Challenge is a national initiative aimed at supporting and scaling innovative childcare enterprises led by or benefiting women in urban India.
The initiative focuses on delivery and scale innovation through adaptable childcare models suited to low-income urban contexts such as community-based, workplace-linked, mobile, and hybrid systems; financing and business model innovation including blended finance, employer-supported and subscription-based approaches to ensure affordability and sustainability; systems integration and institutional convergence by aligning with public schemes, employers, and local bodies for large-scale adoption; quality assurance and process innovation through training, certification, and improved working conditions for childcare providers; and digital, technology, and sustainability innovation using data systems, monitoring tools, and climate-resilient practices to enhance service delivery and efficiency.
The Challenge, led by UN Women India with support from UNDP India and partners, aims to identify and support 8 to 10 promising childcare enterprises working in low-income urban communities. These selected enterprises will receive structured incubation support over a period of three months, designed to strengthen their operational models and enhance their readiness for scale and investment.
The initiative addresses critical gaps in childcare availability, affordability, and quality, particularly for women engaged in informal and service-sector employment. By promoting scalable enterprise models, it seeks to reduce unpaid care burdens and enable greater economic participation of women.
Selected participants will benefit from tailored mentorship, capacity-building, and networking opportunities, along with specialized technical support to refine their business models. In addition, select enterprises will be eligible for grants of up to USD 10,000 to further develop and expand their solutions.
The program also emphasizes building strong linkages between enterprises and key stakeholders, including investors, policymakers, and urban ecosystem actors, to ensure long-term sustainability and integration into broader systems.
Eligible applicants must be women-led or women-benefiting enterprises operating in urban or peri-urban areas of India, with a demonstrated proof of concept and a clear focus on addressing childcare needs among low-income, migrant, or informal workforce populations, while showing strong potential for scalability and replication.
For more information, visit UN Women.
